It is often desirable to move one or more of a vehicle's mirrors from an open position, in which the mirror to extended, or “folded out”, for normal use, to a closed position, in which the mirror is retracted, or “folded in”, to avoid damage resulting from inadvertent physical contact with another object. This is true, for example, when entering a garage or “drive-through” which provides only minimal clearance to one or both sides of the vehicle. It is also true in parking lots where other vehicles or people moving between vehicles have only minimal separation. Furthermore, it is particularly desirable given available extended length mirrors for towing applications.
One option for accomplishing this movement of the mirrors is to manually, i.e., by hand, position the mirrors in the desired configuration, i.e., folded out or in. Unfortunately, implementing this option may require that the vehicle's operator leave the vehicle to reach the mirrors, which is not always possible or desirable. Furthermore, there always exists the risk that the operator may forget to position or reposition the mirrors, resulting in an inability to see trailing vehicles if the mirrors are left folded in or damage to the mirrors if the mirror are left folded out.
Another option for accomplishing this movement is to incorporate selectively actuatable motors into the mirrors so that the operator can position the mirrors by actuating the motors, such as by depressing a button or similar control. Unfortunately, there still exists the risk that the operator may forget to actuate the motors, resulting in damage to the mirrors.
In light of the foregoing problems and limitations, a need exists for an improved mechanism for controlling the positioning of a vehicle's mirrors.